§16.1ἀναγνώρισις δὲ τί μέν ἐστιν, εἴρηται πρότερον·
What recognition is has been stated before.
εἴδη δὲ ἀναγνωρίσεως, πρώτη μὲν ἡ ἀτεχνοτάτη καὶ ᾗ πλείστῃ χρῶνται δι’ ἀπορίαν, ἡ διὰ τῶν σημείων.
As for the types of recognition, the first is the least artistic, which they use most from a lack of resourcefulness: that which is by means of signs.
§16.2τούτων δὲ τὰ μὲν σύμφυτα, οἷον
λόγχην ἣν φοροῦσι Γηγενεῖς
Of these signs, some are congenital, such as "the spear which the Earthborn bear," or stars like those Carcinus uses in his Thyestes.
§16.3ἢ ἀστέρας οἵους ἐν τῷ Θυέστῃ Καρκίνος, τὰ δὲ ἐπίκτητα, καὶ τούτων τὰ μὲν ἐν τῷ σώματι, οἷον οὐλαί, τὰ δὲ ἐκτός, οἷον τὰ περιδέραια καὶ οἷον ἐν τῇ Τυροῖ διὰ τῆς σκάφης.
Others are acquired, and of these, some are on the body, such as scars, while others are external, such as necklaces, or as in Tyro, the recognition by means of the little boat.
§16.4ἔστιν δὲ καὶ τούτοις χρῆσθαι ἢ βέλτιον ἢ χεῖρον, οἷον Ὀδυσσεὺς διὰ τῆς οὐλῆς ἄλλως ἀνεγνωρίσθη ὑπὸ τῆς τροφοῦ καὶ ἄλλως ὑπὸ τῶν συβοτῶν·
It is possible to use these signs either better or worse; for instance, Odysseus was recognized through his scar in one way by his nurse, and in another way by the swineherds.
§16.5εἰσὶ γὰρ αἱ μὲν πίστεως ἕνεκα ἀτεχνότεραι, καὶ αἱ τοιαῦται πᾶσαι, αἱ δὲ ἐκ περιπετείας, ὥσπερ ἡ ἐν τοῖς Νίπτροις, βελτίους.
For those used for the sake of proof are less artistic (and so are all such), while those arising from a reversal, like the one in the Bathing Scene, are better.
§16.6δεύτεραι δὲ αἱ πεποιημέναι ὑπὸ τοῦ ποιητοῦ, διὸ ἄτεχνοι.
The second type consists of those manufactured by the poet, and for this reason they are inartistic.
οἷον Ὀρέστης ἐν τῇ Ἰφιγενείᾳ ἀνεγνώρισεν ὅτι Ὀρέστης· ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, ἐκεῖνος δὲ §16.7αὐτὸς λέγει ἃ βούλεται ὁ ποιητὴς ἀλλ’ οὐχ ὁ μῦθος·
For example, how Orestes in Iphigenia makes it known that he is Orestes; for she indeed made herself known through the letter, but he, instead of the plot doing so, himself says what the poet wishes him to say.
διὸ ἐγγύς τι τῆς εἰρημένης ἁμαρτίας ἐστίν, ἐξῆν γὰρ ἂν ἔνια καὶ ἐνεγκεῖν.
Therefore, this is close to the aforementioned error, for he could have brought some tokens as well.
καὶ ἐν τῷ Σοφοκλέους Τηρεῖ ἡ τῆς κερκίδος φωνή.
Also, the "voice of the shuttle" in Sophocles' Tereus is of this kind.
§16.8ἡ τρίτη διὰ μνήμης, τῷ αἰσθέσθαι τι ἰδόντα, ὥσπερ ἡ ἐν Κυπρίοις τοῖς Δικαιογένους, ἰδὼν γὰρ τὴν γραφὴν ἔκλαυσεν, καὶ ἡ ἐν Ἀλκίνου ἀπολόγῳ, ἀκούων γὰρ τοῦ κιθαριστοῦ καὶ μνησθεὶς ἐδάκρυσεν, ὅθεν ἀνεγνωρίσθησαν.
The third type is through memory, by being aware of something upon seeing it, like the one in the Cyprians of Dicaeogenes; for on seeing the picture he wept. Or the one in the Lay of Alcinous; for on hearing the lyre-player and remembering, he wept, whence they were recognized.
§16.9τετάρτη δὲ ἡ ἐκ συλλογισμοῦ, οἷον ἐν Χοηφόροις, ὅτι ὅμοιός τις ἐλήλυθεν, ὅμοιος δὲ οὐθεὶς ἀλλ’ ἢ Ὀρέστης, οὗτος ἄρα ἐλήλυθεν. καὶ ἡ Πολυίδου τοῦ σοφιστοῦ περὶ τῆς Ἰφιγενείας· εἰκὸς γὰρ ἔφη τὸν Ὀρέστην συλλογίσασθαι ὅτι ἥ τ’ ἀδελφὴ ἐτύθη καὶ αὐτῷ συμβαίνει θύεσθαι.
The fourth type is that from reasoning, as in the Libation Bearers, that "someone like me has come; but no one is like me except Orestes; therefore he has come." Also that of Polyidus the sophist concerning Iphigenia; for it was natural, he said, for Orestes to reason that his sister had been sacrificed, and now it was happening to him to be sacrificed.
καὶ ἐν τῷ Θεοδέκτου Τυδεῖ, ὅτι ἐλθὼν ὡς εὑρήσων τὸν υἱὸν αὐτὸς ἀπόλλυται. καὶ ἡ ἐν τοῖς Φινείδαις· ἰδοῦσαι γὰρ τὸν τόπον συνελογίσαντο τὴν εἱμαρμένην ὅτι ἐν τούτῳ εἵμαρτο ἀποθανεῖν αὐταῖς, καὶ γὰρ ἐξετέθησαν ἐνταῦθα.
Also in the Tydeus of Theodectes, that "having come to find his son, he himself perishes." Also that in the Phineidae; for on seeing the place, they reasoned their doom, that it was fated for them to die in this place, for indeed they had been exposed there.
§16.10ἔστιν δέ τις καὶ συνθετὴ ἐκ παραλογισμοῦ τοῦ θεάτρου, οἷον ἐν τῷ Ὀδυσσεῖ τῷ ψευδαγγέλῳ·
There is also a certain composite type arising from the paralogism of the audience, as in Odysseus the False Messenger.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ τὸ τόξον ἐντείνειν, ἄλλον δὲ μηδένα, πεποιημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ ποιητοῦ καὶ ὑπόθεσις, καὶ εἴ γε τὸ τόξον ἔφη γνώσεσθαι ὃ οὐχ ἑωράκει· τὸ δὲ ὡς δι’ ἐκείνου ἀναγνωριοῦντος διὰ τούτου ποιῆσαι παραλογισμός.
For his stringing the bow, and no one else being able to do so, is something manufactured by the poet and a premise, and even if he said he would recognize the bow which he had not seen; but to make the audience believe that he would be recognized through this is a paralogism.
§16.11πασῶν δὲ βελτίστη ἀναγνώρισις ἡ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων, τῆς ἐκπλήξεως γιγνομένης δι’ εἰκότων, οἷον ἐν τῷ Σοφοκλέους Οἰδίποδι καὶ τῇ Ἰφιγενείᾳ· εἰκὸς γὰρ βούλεσθαι ἐπιθεῖναι γράμματα.
The best recognition of all is that which arises from the events themselves, when the surprise is produced through probable means, as in Sophocles' Oedipus and in Iphigenia; for it was natural that she should want to send a letter.
αἱ γὰρ τοιαῦται μόναι ἄνευ τῶν πεποιημένων σημείων καὶ περιδεραίων.
For such recognitions alone dispense with manufactured signs and necklaces.
§16.12δεύτεραι δὲ αἱ ἐκ συλλογισμοῦ.
The second best are those from reasoning.